How often do you get Tornados in Nashville, TN? (Murfreesboro: buy, tornado)

[IMTM]

I was just wondering if anyone who has lived in Nashville for a while, could tell me how often do you get Tornados in Nashville, TN?

[Steve_TN]

Originally Posted by IMTM

I was just wondering if anyone who has lived in Nashville for a while, could tell me how often do you get Tornados in Nashville, TN?

There is no pattern. It's not like we are given a quota each year. I've been here since 1994. There are tornados that touch the ground and tornados that stay up in the sky. Warnings are issued for both. You will usually get at least few warnings each year, but nothing it guaranteed. I guess it's just like earthquakes in CA. Sometimes they get them and sometimes they don't.

[Mayor_McCheese]

I lived there from 1980 to 2002 and we only had 1 and it hit downtown and not in our area. At the time we lived in Priest Lake/Antioch. You may get a lot of tornado watches and warnings but not many actually touch down.

[Why_Am_I_Here]

There have been a few in the area....one north of Nashville/Davidson County a few years ago. And then the Good Friday one last year in Murfreesboro. Really not that many, there are lots of storm warnings (severe T-storm....). Buy a weather radio, watch the TV and listen to the radio and you'll be well informed.

[DonCorleone]

Originally Posted by Why_Am_I_Here

There have been a few in the area....one north of Nashville/Davidson County a few years ago. And then the Good Friday one last year in Murfreesboro. Really not that many, there are lots of storm warnings (severe T-storm....). Buy a weather radio, watch the TV and listen to the radio and you'll be well informed.

This is pretty good advice, especially about the weather radio.

We have tornadoes, sure...but as others have said statistically speaking you are VERY unlikely to be affected by one. Certainly it is disconcerting and scary when they are in the area, but it is something that we just live with. Sorta like dealing with earthquakes/mudslides/fires in California...hurricanes on the Gulf and East coast...blizzards in the upper midwest, etc. I wouldn't let the threat of tornadoes prevent you from moving here, but recognize that severe weather happens everywhere (including here) and you have to be prepared for it wherever you are.

[weddedbliss]

I grew up near Nashville and the only one that really sticks out in my mind is the one in the '90's that hit downtown. There was one a few years back that hit Goodlettsville (?) maybe, Murfreesboro caught a ton of hail and wind damage off of it. Last year M'boro did have a really big one that hit on Good Friday. Those are the two since I've moved to the Murfreesboro area. Both were very scary, and my heart hits the floor when a warning/watch is issued. We bought a weather radio and programmed it for our county and surrounding, the warning/watches go out quickly here - giving people ample time to prepare.

[Tennessee Resident]

There are a lot! I don't know where these people live/lived! I reside in Hendersonville Tn and I would have to count on 2 hands how many I can remember (small and big) off the top of my head! The one that went from Goodlettsville into Hendersonville and then into Gallatin was devastating! You can youtube that one! It destroyed communities and businesses throughout the 3 cities! There are quite a few small ones that touchdown every year! Our tornado season lasts from early spring until late June! Good luck! If you are already in Tn you have seen a few this year! I think they get worse each year that passes!

[nashvols]

Simple answer: yearly. How bad it gets varies from year to year.

Looking at the Middle Tennessee Tornado Database, there have been 191 confirmed tornadoes in the entire Middle Tennessee area since the beginning of 2000 (roughly 11.4 years). That works out to just under 17 tornadoes per year over an area of around 20,000 square miles (a little smaller than West Virginia). The numbers varied from 5 to 24 per year, so obviously there can be a pretty big swing.

As far as the strength of these 191 tornadoes, 1 was an F4, 11 were F3s, 26 were F2s, and the remaining 153 were either F1s or F0s.

11 of the tornadoes were deadly, killing a total of 45 people (that works out to one deadly tornado per year killing 4 people). Of course, this result is a bit skewed by the tragic 2008 tornado in Sumner, Trousdale, and Macon counties, which killed 22, or nearly half of the overall total.

In Nashville (Davidson County) more specifically, there have been 15 tornadoes during this time span, one of which caused 7 deaths (which also entered Sumner County).


I can get you the totals from the Nashville metro area, or just the core counties...but it will take a little time.

[IngleDave]

Sure seemed like an F0 -F1 this morning in the backyard. Inglewood and East took quite a beating, but with Joplin in mind, a fairly minor inconvenience. The 'hood was a mess this morning, but nothing that can't be dealt with quickly.

Pay attention to nashvols, he's always got the best skinny on information. And we appreciate it.

[Antioch]

Nashville and the surrounding area (Mid TN) gets a fair share of tornadeos, some small, others quite large. We get lots of tornado threats. Nationwide there have been more tornadoes this year.